Ahead of the launch of Google and Samsung’s hotly anticipated Galaxy Nexus, technology writers and bloggers have been keen to post reviews online to give consumers a taste of what they might expect.

One of the central highlights of the Galaxy Nexus is the 4.65 inch Super AMOLED HD screen with a staggering 1280 x 720 resolution. The phone runs on a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM making it equal in power to the Galaxy SII. The Galaxy Nexus is a little smoother though, as it runs on the stock Android rather than with TouchWiz on top. The Nexus is available in two versions with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich phones come with plenty of new features including facial recognition system for unlocking the phone, the Android Beam sharing software that operates on NFC, and LTE connectivity.

Reviews have focussed on both the look and specification of the smartphone. The screen, a popular feature on its predecessor the Galaxy SII, is lauded again, although some reviewers note with dismay that it is not a Super AMOLED Plus. It feels sturdy, according to writers and gives good grip, despite being such a large smartphone. And it feels big, one reviewer notes. It is a vast touchscreen.

Despite its size the phone is thin at just 9mm thick and light, weighing just 135g. One reviewer says it is an absolute beauty.

Despite only having a 5 Megapixel camera, compared to other devices like the iPhone 4S that has 8MP, the camera delivers sharp images and a fast shutter time. The video quality, recording at 1080p is also praised as being crisp.

One reviewer has complained that the camera bulges out of the phone’s frame slightly.

There is real excitement and anticipation over using Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich for the first time, as the Nexus is the first smartphone to carry the latest generation of Android software. The aim of the new OS is to run the same software on both Android smartphones and tablets. It combines, one reviewer notes, the features of both Gingerbread and Honeycomb. It is easier to interact with contacts and it is easier to send pictures, Gmail or texts. The Face Recognition feature, enabling users to unlock the phone simply by looking into the front of it.
The review is that the operating system feels polished and runs more quickly. Another reviewer notes that it handles multi-tasking well.

It is a cool looking phone, the reviewers acknowledge and the look is becoming consistent across the Samsung smartphone range. The most exciting element of it, however, is that it is the first to carry Android 4.0, rather than the rest of its specification. It is going to perform well, one reviewer notes, even if it doesn’t have the improved processor some uses might have been expecting. There is serious competition on the smartphone market this Christmas, with the iPhone 4S, Motorola Droid Razr and HTC Sensation XL but for Android purists, the Galaxy Nexus will turn the head purely for its operating system and new features.